Jumping rope is an exceptional aerobic exercise that enhances the tone of many muscle groups and that contributes to coordination and agility. Unlike many other exercises and sporting activities, jumping rope requires a very low initial capital expense and only a minimum amount of space. Furthermore, jumping rope normally creates few risks of injury. The benefits of jumping rope can be enjoyed by virtually all age groups and all athletic abilities. Young children and professional prize fighters are among the many people who routinely jump rope.
The well documented benefits of physical activity apply to both handicapped people and people substantially free of handicaps. However, handicaps often severely limit the range of physical activities that people can partake in. For example, visually impaired people often cannot jog or partake in sporting activities that require running. Jumping rope also can be difficult for a blind or visually impaired person in view of difficulties in determining precisely where the rope is so that a jump can be timed. People with neurological disabilities or learning disabilities also have problems in many sporting activities that require hand-eye coordination. Jumping rope is one such activity that can be difficult to people with neurological disabilities or learning disabilities in view of the hand-eye coordination required to time each jump. An innate lack of coordination without a specific neurological cause also can make jumping rope difficult. Thus, people having handicaps and people who are merely uncoordinated typically will not jump rope despite the many low-cost benefits that can be achieved from jumping rope.
The simplest jump rope merely consists of an elongated length of flexible material that can be held in the hands of the exerciser. Other jump rope include handles rigidly mounted to the opposed ends of the rope such that the rope can repeatedly pivot about the ends that are fixedly mounted in the handles. Better jump ropes, however, are rotatably mounted in the handles by an array of bearings or the like. Even good prior art jump ropes, however, will not make jumping rope easier for people who are handicapped or uncoordinated as described above.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a jump rope that can be efficiently used by people with handicaps.
Another object of the subject invention is to provide a jump rope that is particularly useful for people with visual impairments and/or neurological disabilities.
A further object of the subject invention is to provide a jump rope that is well suited to people with poor hand-eye coordination.